Storage battery.



No. 630,753. Patented Aug. 8, |899. W. H. SMITH. STORAGE BATTERY.(Application mea may 2e, lese.)

2 Sheets Sheet |l (No Model.)

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Patented Aug. 8, |899.

W. H. SMITH.

STORAGE BATTERY.

(Application led May 26, 1899.)

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

oonwoooo o OOOOOOO OOLROOOO 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

STO RAG E BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,753, dated August8, 1899.

Application filed May 26,1899- Serial No. 718,353. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, engineer, a subject of the Queenof Great Britain, residing at Upton Villa, Penge, London, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Accumulators orStorage Batteries and in Plates or Electrodes Therefor, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, inwwhich- Figure l is an end elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan,illustrating dierent stepsor stages in the manufacture of my improvedplates or electrodes. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of one ofmyimproved plates or electrodes. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section throughthe same. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an electric accumulator madewith my improved plates or electrodes, the containing box or cell beingshown in section. Fig. 6 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, on theline oc Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section illustrating a detail ofconstruction, and Fig. S is a vertical transverse section illustratinganother detail of construction.

My invention relates to electric accumulators or storage batteriesinwhich the plates or electrodes are made with the active mate:

rial inclosedin perforated retaining-envelops.

My said invention is chieiiy designedv toprovide an accumulator plate orelectrode which, while possessing the important qualities of lightnessin proportion to capacity, freedom from buckling or distortion,strength, and capability of withstanding rough usage without injury, canbe manufactured easily and at a low cost and with but little ornoskilled labor.

One feature of my present invention is an accumulator plate or electrodewith a retaining-envelop consisting of two channeled or corrugatedperforated sheets or plates which are each made with wide grooves orchannels on their inner side and' narrow grooves vor channels on theirouter side and are placed face to face with active material between theminv the said wide channels, a series of rods or cores of conductingmaterial-such, for instance, as leadbeing so arranged between the saidsheets orplates that each rod extends along the tubular space formed bytwo opposite wide grooves or channels in the said perforated retainingsheets or plates and is surroundedby the active material therein. Thesaid retaining sheets or plates are-preferably made of non-conductingmaterialsuch, for instance, as celluloid or ebonite.

In making an accumulator plate or electrode according to my saidinvention I find it advantageous to proceed as follows, viz: I firstmake two channeled or corrugated sheets of perforated celluloid or othersuitable material with narrow grooves or channels on one side and withwide grooves or channels on the other side thereof, and I place each ofthese sheets with is wide grooves uppermost on a iiat or plane surfaceprovided with a series of projecting strips, which enter the narrowgrooves in the under side of the sheet. I then iill the wide grooves ofeach of the celluloid or other corrugated sheets or molds with activematerial-such,for example, as oxidof lead. I then, while the activematerial is still in a` plastic conditiomplace a series of rods or coresof lead Vor other suitable conducting material `on the active materialcontained in vone of the said corrugated sheets or molds and lay theother corrugated sheet or mold on the top, so that its active materialis in contact with the said rods or cores and so that its grooves orchannels are directly above and parallel to those of the lower sheet ormold. I then press together the two sheets or molds until the activematerial inthe same is in contact, at the same time, forcing 'theconducting rods or. cores into close contact with the active material.

Tosecurely hold the two halves of the several retaining-envelops in theaccumulator in their proper relative position, and thus obviate theliability to bulging thereof and consequent release of the activematerial from the space between them and at the same to compensate forexpansion and contraction of the active material, I provide perforatedseparating-strips of insulating material which are fitted in the narrowexternal channels in the said envelops, and I pass elastic bands aroundthe series of electrodes and around bars or plates which are placed `oneat each end of the said series and through which are passed suitablesupporting-rods, some extending beneath and others above the saidelectrodes. My said invention, moreover, comprises other improvementshereinafter set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, ct b are the two channeled orcorrugated sheets of perforated celluloid, ebonite,or other suitablematerial, which are made with narrow grooves or channels c on the outerside and with wide grooves or channels (l on the inner side thereof andwhich form the two halves of a retaining-envelop for inclosing theactive material.

c e are the temporary supports for the two corrugated sheets or molds ah, which snpports are provided with a series of projecting strips j",and are preferably connected by hinge-joints, as at e', Figs. l and 2,so that one can be folded over upon the other, as indicated by thedotted lines in Fig. l, orother suitable means are provided forfacilitating the placing of one sheet or mold in its correct positionupon the other. One of the said sheets (t b is placed on the fiat orplane surface of each of the supports e, so that the projecting strips fthereof enter the narrow grooves c of vthe said sheet. These projectingstrips serve to keep the grooves c free from active material and at thesame time prevent flattening out of the corrugated sheet while beingfilled.l The wide grooves or channels (Z of the sheets or molds (t h arethen filled with oxid of lead or othersuitable active material until thesame is level with the top of the said channels,as shown in Fig. l. Thenwhile the active material is still in a plastic condition the rods orcores y, of lead or othersuitable conducting materiahare laid on theactive material in one halt of the retaining-envelop, so that these rodsare parallel with and in the center or about the center of the widechannels (l of the said sheet, as shown in Fig. 2. The other half of theretaining-envelop is then placed on the top, so that its active materialis in contact with the said rods or cores and so that the grooves orchannels are directly opposite each other, as shown by dotted lines inFig. l. The two halves of the plate or electrode thus formed are thenpressed together until the active material therein is in contact, theconducting-rods or cores beingiat the same time forced into the activematerial, so that they are embedded therein, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.The electrode is then removed from the temporary supports e.

The two halves of each perforated retaining-envelop are sometimessecured together at their edges-for example, by folded pieces p ofcelluloid, ebonite, or the like slid over the said edges, as indicatedin Fig. 7.

The electrodes are preferably so construct- -ed that their grooves orcorrugations extend vertically, as shown. The conducting rods or cores gare formed on orattached to a conducting-bar 7L,extending along the topof the electrode, and a bottom plate or bar j, of ebonite, lead, orother suitable material, is

secured to the lower ends of the said rods or cores g, so as to preventfalling of the active 'sheets of celluloid.

material from between the aforesaid corrugated sheets or molds.

In some instances, in order to still further lighten the plates orelectrodes, the bottom bar j is made thinner than is shown in Fig. 3,and a folded piece q, Fig. 8, of celluloid or other suitable material,is cemented or otherwise secured upon the lower edge of the plate orelectrode. I find it advantageous also to secure the inner ridges of thecorrugations of one half of the retaining-envelop to those of the otherby means of cement or other suitable material or by partially dissolvingthe celluloid at these parts and causing them to adhere together.

In the accumulator shown in Figs. 5 and G the electrodes are kept inposition at a suitable distance apart by perforated strips k, of eboniteor other suitable non-conducting material, which fit into the narrowexternal grooves c of the corrugated sheets a i) and serve as struts toeffectually prevent bulging of the retaining-envelope, even when thelatter are made of very thin and light perforated The several electrodesare held together, with the separating-strips t between them, by meansof elastic bandst, placed around the series of electrodes. I Iind itadvantageous to provide at cachend of the series of electrodes retainingbars or plates in and to pass through these bars or plates suitable rodsn, some of which extend beneath and others above the said electrodes.'The said bars or plates m at one orboth ends of the series are left freeto slide upon the said rods n, so as to permit expansion and contractionof the active material. The said separating-strips,in conjunction withthe said elastic bands and the end plates m and rods n, serve to retainthe two halves ct b of the several electrodes in their' proper relativeposition and also to keep the active material in close contact with theconducting rods or cores, while permitting and compensating for theexpansion and contraction of the said active material without distortionof the electrodes.

I prefer to make the electrode at eitherend of the series of a singleperforated sheet or mold a or b, filled with active material, in whichconducting-rods g are embedded, as shown in Figs. 5 and 0, the outersurface of each sheet being preferably covered by perforated plates ofcelluloid, ebonite, or other suitable material.

It is evident that the thickness of the plate or electrode bounded bythe two channeled or corrugated perforated sheets can be varied at willby increasing or diminishing the depth of the channels or corrugations.Moreover, instead of combining two separate corrugated sheets I can, ifdesired, take a single corrugated sheet and after filling thewiderchannels thereof with the active material place the conducting-rods uponthe active material. in one half of the said sheet and then fold;

IOO

the said sheet upon itself, so that the wider grooves in one halfthereof will be directly above and parallel with those in the other halfthereof.

I sometimes make an accumulator with plates or electrodes eachconsisting of one channeled or corrugated perforated retaining-sheet,having its wider grooves filled with active material, and of a flatperforated retaining-sheet placed against the said corrugated sheet, theconducting-rods being embedded in the active material in the saidgrooves.

I am aware that accumulator plates or electrodes have been alreadydevised in which the active material is inclosed between two perfoi-atedconducting-shells of lead, the elec-v trodes being separated in theaccumulator by porous non-conducting plates. I am also aware thataccumulator plates or electrodes have been devised wherein the activematerial after b'eing molded to the required shape around one or moreconducting-rods and then dried is inclosed in a porous or perforatedcorrugated retaining-envelop but these perforated retaining-envelops arenot, like mine, made iu two halves or parts provided with wide internalchannels to receive the active material and with narrow externalchannels to receive perforated separating-strips, which will act asstruts between adjacent electrodes to prevent bulging thereof, whileleaving ample space between the electrodes for the circulation of theelectrolyte, and which, in conjunction with elastic bands surroundingthe series of electrodes and rods extending through the same, willsecurely hold the said halves in their proper relative position, whilecompensating for expansion and contraction of the active material.

What I claim isl. The combination, in an electric accumulator or storagebattery, of plates or electrodes each comprising corrugated perforatedretaining-envelops of non-conducting material having wide internalchannels and narrow external channels, active material in thev opposingwide channels thereof, conductingrods embedded in said active material,separating strips or struts between said electrodes fitted into saidnarrow channels thereof, and

means to yieldingly hold said electrodes together, substantially as, andfor the purposes, above specified. f

2. The combination, in an electric accumulator or storage battery, ofplates or electrodes each comprising corrugated perforatedretaining-envelops of non-conducting material having wide internalchannels and narrow external channels, active material in the opposingwide channels thereof, conductingrods embedded in said active material,perforated separating strips or struts between said electrodes fitted insaid narrow channels thereof, end plates located one at each end of theseries of electrodes, supporting-rods passed through said end plates andelastic bands placed around said series of electrodes, substantially as,and for the purposes, above specified.

3. In an electric accumulator or storage battery, a plate or electrodecomprising a corrugated perforated retaining-envelop made in two halvesor parts of non-conducting material each having Wideinternal channelsfor containing the active material and narrow external channels toreceive separating strips or struts, which halves or parts are placedtogether face to face, active material inclosed in the opposing internalchannels of said halves or parts, and conducting-rods embedded in saidactive material, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbeforedescribed.

4. In 'an electric accumulator or storage battery, the combination of aretaining-envelop comprising a Acorrugated perforated sheet ofnon-conducting material having wide internal channels and narrowexternal' channels, active material in said'wide channels,cond'uctingrodsembeddedin said active material, aid means tpnretainfsaidactive material and conducting-rds'in said wide channels, substantiallyas, and for the purposes, above specified. y\

In testimony wl'ereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY SMITH.

Witnesses:

DAVID YOUNG, ALEXANDER W. ALLEN.

